'Holding Election Not License for Violence': SC Rejects WB Govt's Plea Against Central Forces for Panchayat Poll

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the West Bengal government’s plea against the deployment of central forces during the panchayat polls and said that the State Election Commission (SEC) should not have any issue with such deployment.

The court further noted that holding elections cannot be a license to allow violence and considering that West Bengal has a history of such poll-related violence, such deployment seems necessary.

The apex court made the remarks while hearing a plea challenging an order of the Calcutta High Court directing the SEC to requisition and deploy central forces across West Bengal for the panchayat elections.

The High Court on June 15 had directed the SEC to requisition and deploy central forces across West Bengal for the panchayat elections within 48 hours.

The HC’s order came after state-wide violence erupted and workers of BJP and TMC clashed in various places during the nomination process for the panchayat polls.

Noting that no effective steps were taken to identify sensitive areas from the law and order point of view and in light of the SEC’s submission that it may take a couple of days more to do so, the HC court had said, “Waiting for any longer will cause more damage to the situation and will not aid in protecting the purity of the election process.”

The Supreme Court also noted that West Bengal has a history of poll violence that often leads to multiple deaths and thus, deployment of central forces in every district will only aid the SEC whose prime responsibility is to conduct fair and peaceful elections in the state.

“Seeing the history of the State, the petition was entertained and order was passed. But it is to your (SEC) aid. You (SEC) cannot have been aggrieved,” the court noted.

The matter was mentioned on Monday before a vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and M M Sundresh by senior advocate Meenakshi Arora who sought an urgent hearing.

Arora, who was appearing for the SEC, told the appeal against the order was filed on Friday last but was not taken up.

Opposition leaders, including BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari and Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, had petitioned the court for the deployment of central forces for ensuring peaceful elections, stating the state had witnessed large-scale violence during the municipal elections in 2022 and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections in 2021.

(With PTI inputs)